The 28 day lockdown will commence on Thursday October 1st and will last until the 28th Premiere Legault announced this week
After months of a threat of a second wave, the provincial government has finally decided to put Montreal in another state of lockdown. Especially after weeks of slinking toward the red, the decision makes sense to most, as it was imminent, as even the Prime Minister stated in a press conference earlier last week that families getting together for Thanksgiving would be difficult.
The areas affected primarily are Quebec City, Chaudière-Appalaches and of course Montréal.
Exceptions to the new rules
A whole batch of rules have been set in place for the announced 28 day lockdown starting on Thursday the 1st of October, but many are surprised at the rules not present on the current list, or rather the places that won’t be closing in light of this new lockdown.
As it will stand as of Thursday, home visits will be forbidden, unless a person who lives alone is being visited by a single person who also lives alone. The other exceptions include visits by healthcare workers. Apparently, and according to numerous reports, if a household is having work done on their homes including maintenance, construction, plumbing, etc., this can be done but only by a single person/worker. And interestingly enough, apparently, a babysitter is allowed in a home to care for children while parents are away.
Who will be forced to close?
Restaurant dining rooms will be completely closed. Only take-out options will be allowed for all restaurants in the affected regions. Bars will be closed, as will movie theaters and public libraries. Museums are also included on that list, and apparently there are no exceptions. Casinos as well.
What’s different about this lockdown?
Churches and other places of worship across the city will allow gatherings of 25 people or less for funerals, as this was not possible in the lockdown following the first wave of the pandemic.
Community organizations will be staying open, and while gatherings outdoors are allowed, a distance of two meters is required between all people at said gatherings, which include protests. Masks, as can be figured, are mandatory as well.
And like before, it was suggested that inter-region travel by citizens of Montréal cease as well during the 28 day lockdown.
The biggest difference of all
And schools will remain open, despite the fact that many sources have blamed the re-opening of schools on the extraordinary spike in the virus, dating to the exact time that children returned to school.
Universities like Concordia have decided to continue with classes online for the rest of the fall/winter semester, and many feel that that was a great idea overall … leading to the question: Why don’t elementary and high schools do the same?
Premiere Legault however, felt that a return to lockdown for children—especially as it was during the very first wave of the pandemic—wouldn’t be in the children’s best interest overall psychologically, and he stated as such at the press conference held this past Monday.
How the lockdown will affect local businesses
Especially for our local businesses in Pak Extension, we know, as we have reported how the pandemic affected them, so another lockdown is a pretty scary thing for them all, definitely worth the worry.
Many other business owners in Montreal begged to be exempt from the lockdown, specifically restaurants, but as it turned out, the decision was made, and no restaurant was exempt in the end.
What now?
Of course all that remains to be seen is what happens next. Will this lockdown spread out into two months or longer, as it did in the second wave? And citizens are only left with question after question, like the one I just posed … and probably the biggest question of all is: What happens if the numbers keep going up? What happens then?
Will schools subsequently be closed in a decision to reverse the growing numbers don’t go down after this lockdown gets under way? As we all know, decisions can be reversed, no matter who has made them, so only time will tell.
We more than understand that leaders (in all regions) are doing their best to keep a lid on this without further affecting the children, and we’re sure that they’ll do what’s best and/or necessary when the time comes. All else I can do for now is say to you all in Park extension … stay safe, follow the rules and we’ll keep you posted as we go.
